Hatari On The Way To Tel Aviv - The Reykjavik Grapevine

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Hatari On The Way To Tel Aviv

Neo-Posadist dystopian synthclash art rockers Hatari are at last on their way to Tel Aviv to take part on the Eurovision Song Contest for Iceland.

RÚV reports that the band headed to Keflavík International Airport early this morning with an entourage in tow, the group comprised of 19 people altogether. They will fly to London and from there to Tel Aviv this afternoon.

Hatari’s participation has sparked controversy for their stated intent to make a statement in support of the Palestinian people. This has drawn criticism from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and UK Lawyers for Israel, who contend that this directly breaks Eurovision rules against political statements—despite a wealth of examples of political Eurovision acts in the past.

However, they have also drawn criticism from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a Palestinian grassroots movement that was one of the founders of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement National Committee, on the grounds that showing support for the Palestinians could be best demonstrated by not participating at all.

First rehearsals for the band’s performance at Eurovision will take place on Sunday, and the band themselves will perform at Eurovision on May 14.

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